Fruit harvester having gathering fingers



Jan. 12, 1965 T. A. MIDDLESWORTH ETAL 3,164,942

FRUIT HARVESTER HAVING GATHERING FINGERS Filed Aug. 5, 1962 2Sheets-Sheet 1 l/VVE/VTOHS TOMMY A. M/DDLESWORTH HAROLD G. ME/TL ANTHONY5. WU/VAR ATTX .United Sfas Patent IQ" 3,164,942 FRUIT AHARVESTER HAVINGi, t, GA'IHERING FINGERS Tommy A. Middlesworth and Harold G. Meitl,Hinsdale, `anrlAnthony S. Wunar, Chicago, Ill.,"assgnors 'toInternational Harvester Company', Chicago, Ill., a ycorporation of- New-Jersey Filed Aug. 3, 1962, Ser. No. 214,657

' 3 Claims. (Cl. 56-328) This invention relates to fruit harvesters, andmore specifically though not necessarily limited to a harvester fororanges and the like. y

The instant invention constitutes, improvements over the invention shownand described in the pending applications of Fred V. Laswell, vSerialNo. 747,275 filed July Patented Jan. 12, 19H65 f i L 2 Profits, lasviewlfne' picke'rhad with pgftions removed to clarifytheillustrationjand Y.

8, 1958, and Serial No. 36.448 led June 15, 1960,7'now l i Patent No.3,040,507.

In harvesters ofthe typeunder considerationit is dei' sirable to providea machine having a pickerheadcom prising a plurality of' fingersgeometrically arranged in order to cover a preset picking area. Thestructure under consideration comprises a plurality of side-by-sidearranged lingers or spindles which are carried from a panel,

the fingers being adapted to be advanced into a tree and pursuant torotation of the spindles to auger into the tree and then the fingers tobe withdrawn to strip the fruit oli the plant.

A companion application of ours, Serial No. 214,601,

, illustrates and covers the provision of resilient picker ngers ofcorkscrew shape.k This predecessor invention, although operatingsuccessfully in general, sometimes has developed'the problem of havingthe iingers `entwine withI t FIG. 3 is a side elevational View ofthestructure shown in FIG. Zawith the'shieldremoved. M i' ADescribing theinvention in detail and havingpanular reference `to the drawings,ythereis shown a picker headj generally designated 2 which comprises asubstantially square panel structure including' a forward panel shield 3through which project the root ends 4 of the picker spindles. or fingersgenerally indicated 5, said spindles `5l being arranged in verticallyaligned rows indicated by the line AA and horizontal rows indicated bythe lines 'Y It will be seen that the picker lingers are thus ar- I BB.ranged in a square grid fashion and that each picker finger ispreferably made of spring steel, and in addition to the axiallyextending root end portion 4 comprises a spiral portion generallydesignated 6 which proceeding from the root end'4 to the outerv pointedfree end 7 which is coaxial with the root end portion 4 comprises thefollowing convolutions.

in timed relation lwith each other so that the crest 9--9,

each other so that they were difficult to cxtricat'e from the treewithout breaking branches and the like. Such entwinement of the helicalshaped fingers also posed the problem of unwrapping the fingers andthisat times'could be accomplished by reversely rotating the fingers so thatthey would separate.

The instant invention contemplates an improvement in so arranging thefingers with their helical convolutions so thus be prevented vfromentering the convolutions ofV each other.V f l A general object of theinvention is lto provide a1 novel fruit picker head comprisingk aplurality of side-by-side arranged picker spindles eachof helicalconfiguration wherein the spindles are soarranged 'that adjacentspindles oppose each other along areas parallelingrthe'axes of rotationof the spindles inthe -line of tangency along 60 their peripheries. j

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a novel pickerheadcomprising a plurality of side-by-side arranged helicalspindleswherein the adjacent spindles are so positioned so that theyengage each other at their peripheries and prevent the entry of theconvolutions `of one spindle from entering into those of the otherspindle.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent fromthe specification and the drawings, wherein:

v FIG. l is a front viewv of the picker head with portions of the headbroken away from front to rear to illustrate the mechanism `behind eachportion;

lit- 10, 11-11 of adjacent spindles always oppose each lother whereby ifeither or both 'spindles should be deiiected transversely or laterallythey will Yengage each other in the region of the crests and theadjacent convolutions of one spindle will be Vprevented from entering`into the convolutions of the other spindle. l

In order to insure such relationship'between the adjacent spindles,which are formed of spring steel andof course are laterally ortransversely deectable, the-root end portion-s4 of the spindles aremounted withinV the supports 12which are journaled in bearings 13 and 14in theY supports or framework 1S. yIt will be seen that the spindles aresuitably driven in timed relation with each other by means of the chainand sprocket elements 18 and 19V and that each bank of spindles 20, 21,22, 23, 24 and 25 is driven through the single revolution clutchmechanisms 2128,29, 30, 31 and 32 to insure the timed relation betweenadjacent banks of spindles upon any spindle in any bank being obstructedso that those spindles in that particular bank are prevented fromrotating except in timed relation with each other. Y i

It will be seen that the drive is initiated to the respective clutchcontrolled driving 'trains from a motor 35 whichis preferably Vahydraulic unit as well known to i those skilled in the art, saidmo-tor35being Vsuitably coupled through chain and sprocket drivetransmission 36 and 37 to the respective clutches,ras will be readilyapparent from FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

Having described the invention, it will be readily apparent that slightdeviations may be made without aecting the spirit of the invention ascovered by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

V1. A fruit picker comprising a picker head having a plurality ofrotatable side-by-side picker spindles formed of material permitting thespindles to deflect laterally against one another,` said spindles havinghelical portions in transverse alignmentV Witheach other, and means 10-l deflection of the spindles alongfthe turns of the helix.

The innermost 'coil of the helicall portion 6 recedes from the root end4 270 in 12 inches.- and is followed by two turns of 360 in 10 inch,fol' 3 if Y *2.MA fruit picker head comprising a plurality o f steel lgenerally straight end portion and a helical portion exwire pickerspindles, each spindlehaving straight coaxial tending outwardly fromsaid end portion and said wire root and outer end portions land anintermediate helical tapered outwardly.

portion, said spindles disposed in side-by-side relation 'with' thehelical onyolutions opposing each other trans- 5 References Ciied in the51e 0f this Patent yeiselly therfeoht k h ad i 1 t p l UNITED STATESPATENTS 'n a' rui pici er e a pane sructure, ra pu- .v

rality ofk spindles rotatably supported thereon and ex- ,Sllhom 133'tendmg substantially normal thereto, and each said '3,040,507 LssweuJune 26,1962

spindle being ,formed ofsteel Wire and having an inner 10 3 077 720Grove et al Feb 19 1963

1. A FRUIT PICKER COMPRISING A PICKER HEAD HAVING A PLURALITY OFROTATABLE SIDE-BY-SIDE PICKER SPINDLES FORMED OF MATERIAL PERMITTING THESPINDLES TO DEFLECT LATERALLY AGAINST ONE ANOTHER, SAID SPINDLES HAVINGHELICAL PORTIONS IN TRANSVERSE ALIGNMENT WITH EACH OTHER, AND MEANSROTATING SAID SPINDLES IN TIMED RELATION WITH ONE ANOTHER IN PRESETRELATION WITH SAID HELICAL PORTIONS ABUTTING UNDER DEFLECTION OF THESPINDLES ALONG THE TURNS OF THE HELIX.